Arizona State Drops First Game of Season in Hard-Fought Battle

The Sun Devils were unable to capitalize on many opportunities to put themselves in a position to secure a win.

Arizona State Sun Devils Santiago Trouet (1) and Massamba Diop (35) attempt to block Southern Utah Thunderbirds Isaiah Cottrell (0) during a game at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe on Nov. 4, 2025. | Diannie Chavez/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils (2-1) dropped their first game of the 2025-26 season against the Gonzaga Bulldogs (4-0) by a score of 77-65 in what was a high-intensity matchup from opening tip until the final horn sounded.

Arizona State on SI has a comprehensive recap of the competitive game against a powerhouse in the sport below.

First Half

Hurley went with the starting five that had been in place in the first two games in Moe Odum, Bryce Ford, Santiago Trouet, Andrija Grbovic, and Massamba Diop.

Grbovic began the scoring with a corner three that further energized a lively student section and set the tone for a high-scoring affair.

The Sun Devils went into the under 16 minute timeout with an 11-6 lead that was built by proficient play on the perimeter.

Arizona State maintained an advantage going into the under-12 timeout, as Anthony "Pig" Johnson was a major catalyst in the four-minute run.

Gonzaga took their first lead of the game at the 8:29 mark behind several offensive possessions that were driven by incredible work in the open court.

The Bulldogs quickly built up a double-digit lead of 30-20 after a string of stagnant offensive possessions by the Sun Devils coupled with a penchant of getting to the free-throw line.

Gonzaga's double-digit advantage stabilized as the half came to an end - an emphatic Graham Ike dunk gifted the Bulldogs a 45-32 lead after 20 minutes of action.

Second Half

Arizona State continued to battle in the early stages of the second half - cutting the lead down to 10 at the under-16 minute timeout stage of the period.

Odum cut the lead to nine at the 14:44 mark after two emphatic blocks played into a pull-up transition three in the open court.

A Bryce Ford pull-up three-point hit cut the advantage to just five points less than two minutes later.

The positive momentum was almost completely stalled in the ensuing minutes, as a number of potentially questionable calls and another period of stalled out offense re-built the Bulldog lead to 14.

The Sun Devils remained within striking distance for the next several minutes, but missed opportunities, decisively losing the rebounding battle, and getting into double bonus territory proved to be too much to overcome.

Key Performances

Moe Odum -

Massamba Diop -

Santiago Trouet -

What's Next

The Sun Devils are set to continue their non-conference slate on Monday night when Georgia State comes to Tempe before traveling to Hawaii for an extended period of time for the Maui Invitational.

Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and three major takeaways following a gutsy win over Iowa State here

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